The Impossible

by nikkiclyneZX15

She has been alone her entire life, having been abandoned as a small child. But when she moves to a new city, she may just have found the friendship and love she has always wanted.

9. Together

Chapter 9 – Together

"Urd, it's already been three days; you need to take a break."

Belldandy stared in concern as her older sister didn't reply and continued staring intensely at the computer screen. A few days ago she had come home to find the older goddess researching who knows what on Skulds' computer and a completely knocked out Kazume curled up on Arimons bed and clutching one of his shirts. Urd had averted her attention long enough to inform Belldandy of what had transpired been Kazume and the Ruler of Demons. Belldandy had turned to go and be with the redhead but Urd had sternly told her not to interrupt her sleep. So she had no choice but to stand aside while a depressed Kazume walked around almost lifeless and her sister did everything in her power to bring back the one man that could put the life back into the once spunky girl. But there was just one thing Belldandy didn't understand.

"Urd I don't understand, how does computer research help with bringing Arimon back?"

The white haired goddess stopped reading and turned to her sister with a unreadable expression. "I'm trying to find a loophole in Arimons' capture. It isn't in a demon's nature to obligingly follow rules, and that includes Hild. I know she's hiding something, all I need to do is find out what."

Belldandy sighed. "Then please hurry, I can't stand to see Kazume in the state she's in right now. She hasn't been herself in days."

And she was right. At that very moment, Kazume was aimlessly walking around the same park she had shared many memories with Arimon, both good and bad. The last few days had been absolute torture for her. She struggled to sleep at night, but when she did she was constantly plagued by nightmares of seeing Hild laughing maniacally while Arimon sat bound in a giant cage. She would try to run and help him but he would only become further away. This would end with her bolting up in bed screaming out Arimons' name and sweating profusely.

Kazume sighed tiredly. She hadn't really talked to anyone, not even Megumi. She knew her best friend was worried and she felt guilty distancing herself from her. But Arimon was all she could think about, and the more the days flew by, the more anxious she became to seeing him and feeling his arms around her again. She consciously hugged herself, imagining being wrapped up in Arimons' embrace. She always felt safe when he was near her, and now that he was gone, she felt extremely vulnerable to everything around her. Her bottom lip quivered slightly.

'Arimon…please be okay.'

Arimon glared daggers at his aunty from his place in the giant barrier. "Was it really necessary to put a stupid shield around me?"

Hild only looked amused. "Now, now dear nephew, I can't have you running off now can i?"

He growled. "Damn it Hild! Let me go! I thought I told you I don't give a crap about this place anymore!"

Hild leered at him. "As long as you have demon blood running through your veins than you will be forever bound to this place. So until you've accepted that than I have no choice but to keep you in there."

Arimon scoffed. "You can do whatever you want. It won't change how I feel about Kazume."

The name reminded Hild of the short but intense conversation she had with said girl. She smiled slyly to herself. 'What's the harm? It's not like he'll be seeing her anytime soon.'

"Speaking of her Arimon, she made a phone call here the other day."

Arimon gave her a weird look. "What are you talking about? Humans can't call the demon realm."

Hild smiled knowingly. "That is true, but that girl of yours is a very smart one. She had Urd call first to get through the line security. Only then did she take the phone to speak directly to me."

Arimon was impressed but kept his face blank. "So what did she say?"

Hild tapped her chin. "Well nothing seems to escape her. She said she had figured out almost straight away that Demons were responsible for your disappearance."

Arimon smiled. 'That's my girl.' He thought fondly

"But she knows not to get her hopes up."

Arimon glared at her. "What did you do?"

Hild shrugged. "I told her she won't ever see you again, since I don't really intend on ever letting you go back to earth."

Arimon snarled. "YOU BASTARD!"

He charged at the large barrier only to be roughly thrown backwards. He lifted his head and glared at Hild who grinned smugly.

"Settle down, Arimon. As powerful as you are, you're no match for my barrier."

She walked away cackling while Arimon fell to his knees. He lifted his head and stared longingly into the outside world. Thoughts of Kazume flowed into his mind. He closed his eyes as he pictured her face, her wondrous smile that could light up the whole world. He would never see that smile again, never hear her laugh again. He would never be able to tell her how much he loved her.

For the first time in his life, Arimon cried.

(Another few days later)

"That's it! I found it!"

Urd pumped her fist triumphantly into the air. After a full week of restless searching, Urd had finally found what she had been looking for. Highlighting what she had discovered, she copied and printed out the documents. She grabbed the pile of paper and raced out of the room in search of her sister.

"Belldandy!"

Said goddess came out of the kitchen at the sound of her name. "Urd, what's the matter?"

Urd held up the documents with a smile. "I found it. Something so obvious, it's even been included in heaven's laws as well."

This caught Belldandys' attention. "May I see?"

Urd gave the papers to her. Belldandy took them and quickly scanned over the writing. As she neared the end, her eyes widened. She looked back up in astonishment. "How could we have forgotten this? This law is centuries old! The Almighty One himself is part of it."

Urd smirked. "Exactly, and Hild has completely taken it for granted." She placed her hands on her sisters' shoulders. "Belldandy, I need you to go out and find Kazume. Bring her here and keep her in Arimons' room."

Belldandy looked concerned. "It's hard for her to stay in his room, but I understand. What about you Urd? What are you going to do?"

Urd smiled. "I have a cousin to rescue."

Belldandy watched as her sister walked out the door. She knew exactly where she was going; she only prayed that Urd's plan would work.

Kazume lay on her futon and gazed blankly at her wall. Her mood had still not improved in the past week but she at least did her best to spend time with Megumi. Her roommate was doing her duty as the best friend to not talk about a certain handsome redhead around her, which Kazume was very grateful for.

A polite knock broke Kazume out of her thoughts and she stared weirdly at the door. 'Since when does Megumi knock?'

Her question was answered when, instead of her roommate, Belldandys smiling face appeared. "Good afternoon Kazume."

Despite how depressed she was, Kazume couldn't help but smile whenever the gentle goddess was around. "Hey Bell."

Belldandy kneeled down next to her and covered one of her hands with both of her own. "I know how sad you must be feeling. But I need you to come to the temple."

Kazume raised an eyebrow. "Why? Is something the matter?"

Belldandy smiled. "Not really. It's hard to explain."

Her cute, lost expression dug on Kazumes' conscience and she sighed. "Alright, I'm coming."

Belldandy smiled and clapped her hands together. "Wonderful! Let's be on our way then!"

As she followed the goddess out of their apartment, Kazume shook her head. 'Why can I never say no to her? She looked sideways to see Belldandy smiling innocently at her. Kazume gulped. 'Why do I have the weird feeling she's up to something?'

Meanwhile, Urd had just arrived in the depths of the Demon Realm. She had been given authorized clearance and she was now making her way to her mother's 'den' as she liked to call it. She walked through a large door and into a spacious room. In the middle lay a humungous barrier. Even from where she was, Urd could feel the immense power this barrier beheld. As she walked closer, she could make out a lone figure slouched in the very centre of it. It was only when she was merely a few metres away did she recognise her long lost cousin.

She smiled. "Glad to see you're still in one piece."

Arimons head whipped up at her voice. His eyes widened at the sight of a grinning half demon; just like himself. "Urd! What are you doing here?"

She kept grinning. "I'm getting you out of here."

Arimon sighed. "And how, may I ask, do you plan on doing that?"

"Yes dear daughter, how do you plan on breaking him out?"

The two cousins looked around to find Hild leaning against a nearby wall with her arms crossed. Her eyes glittered as she gazed at her daughter, who scoffed at her uninviting attention.

"Come now Urd. Is that the hello I get? And after I welcomed you back here with open arms."

Urd scoffed. "I don't need a welcoming. I only came to retrieve Arimon."

Hild sighed. "Well unfortunately for you he's not going anywhere. I thought I made that perfectly clear when I spoke to that human girl."

Urd smirked. "Actually he is." She pulled out the papers she had printed earlier and walked over to her mother. She then shoved them into a surprised Hilds' chest. The demon ruler looked down at them with disinterest. "And what is this supposed to be?"

Urd pointed to the documents. "Thousands of laws passed down over the last several centuries from both Gods and Demons."

Hild glared at her. "And what does this have to do with anything?"

Urd pointed to a certain part on the page. "It states here that if a Demon falls in love with a human 'without' the approval of the present ruler, than he or she would automatically be indefinitely banished from Hell. No one from the Demon Realm, not even the ruler themselves can revoke this law and bring back said banished demon under any circumstances. If the ruler is caught holding them against their will after this law has been passed, they will be forced to relinquish their right to rule to the heir next in line, which in this case, would technically be me."

By now Hild was fuming, having been outsmarted by her own daughter. Urd, however, was feeling extremely proud of herself.

"So you see, Arimon had done nothing wrong by falling in love with a human. It is common knowledge that demons generally detest humans and don't usually go out of their way to become romantically involved with them. But it isn't illegal; he is perfectly free to love whomever he wishes. Now Hild, since I have no desire to take over this job of yours. I am giving you an option. You can either willingly let Arimon go and remain Ruler over Demon Kind, or you can continue to be selfish and keep him for yourself. Only setback is that you'll have to surrender your title to someone else."

Urd grinned smugly at her dumbfounded mother. "So…now will you let him go?"

Hild sighed and waved her hand. Next moment the barrier that had been holding Arimon captive dissolved and Arimon was set free. The male redhead grinned at his cousin.

"You're amazing Urd, how did you find that loophole?"

Urd smiled mysteriously. "I'll explain later. Why don't you head home? There's someone down there very anxious to see you."

"Wait one moment!"

Urd and Arimon turned to see Hild holding her arm up with a massive amount of dark energy surrounding it. "I may have let Arimon go, but I didn't say anything about letting you run free Urd! If you want to return to Earth, you'll have to fight me first!"

Arimon moved to guard his cousin but she held out an arm to stop him. When he gave her a confused look she smiled. "Don't worry Arimon, I'll come back. She'll be caught dead before she actually kills me."

He nodded. "You be careful then." And with that Arimon once again vanished from Hell.

Urd turned back and grinned at her mother. "So you wanna play do ya?"

Hild grinned back. "It's been a while since I fought you daughter. Let's see how strong you've become."

Urd summoned her own power, the bright surges of lightning dancing around her body. "Bring it on!"

Mother and daughter then charged at each other as darkness and lightning collided powerfully and exploded into a blinding light.

Arimon landed softly onto the soft grass of the temple grounds. He took a deep breath and inhaled the scent of the clean crisp air. He turned his head when the front door slid open to reveal Belldandy. The goddess smiled brightly at him and hurried over to give him a warm hug.

"I'm so happy to see you Arimon. Everyone has been worried sick."

He smiled and patted her back. "I'm alright Bell." He pulled out of the hug and looked at his cousin. "Where is she?"

Belldandy recognised the look in his eyes and smiled. "She's inside, come with me."

Kazume lay on Arimons' futon, once again staring blankly into space. 'I really need to get a grip.' She thought grouchily to herself. 'I can't spend forever staring at walls all day.' She could hear voices down the corridor but chose to ignore them. It was probably just Keiichi returning from his classes. The last thing she needed to see was him and Bell acting all mushy again. Reminders of romance once again brought her mind back to Arimon. She picked up one of his stray shirts that was on the ground and held it tightly. She breathed in his scent heavily. She was so caught up in her world that she didn't hear the door to his room open. Tears threatened to fall again as she tightened her hold on the piece of fabric.

"Arimon."

"Kazume?"

Kazume's eyes went incredibly wide when she heard the deep familiar voice. She looked up at the doorway and was met with the gaze of gentle amethyst eyes. Still clutching his shirt, she slowly rose to her feet. She stared in disbelief as the man she had been missing more than anything was now standing not even five feet in front of her.

"Arimon…is that you?"

He smiled gently at her and held his arms open. "Come now….where's my hug?"

Kazume's eyes quickly filled with tears. She dropped the shirt she was holding and ran eagerly into his embrace.

"ARIMON!"

She jumped into his arms and wrapped her arms tightly around him. Arimon caught her and held tightly around her waist. He could feel her body trembling as she cried openly into his shoulder. He lifted his right arm and stroked her hair.

"Shh, it's alright Kazume, I'm here now."

Kazume tightened her grip. "I thought I was never going to see you again! This last week has been a nightmare!"

Arimon gently pulled away to stare at her confusingly. "What do you mean a week? I was only there for a few hours."

Kazume shook her head. "No…Belldandy told me that time here passes by much faster than it does in either heaven or hell."

Arimon then realized just how hard it really must've been for her. 'It was hard enough being separated from her for only three or four hours. But she had to wait an entire week to see me again.' He pulled her into his arms again and held her tightly. "I'm so sorry Kazume, i won't ever leave you like that again."

Kazume snuggled deeper into his chest. "You promise?"

He smiled and leaned his head on hers. "I promise."

After Arimons' joyful return, Kazume was in much more higher spirits. Everyone was grateful to see her in a much better mood, although the redhead couldn't help but notice her best friend seemed somewhat distant. Concerned and scared, Kazume came home from visiting the temple and headed straight for Megumi's room. She quietly knocked on her door.

"Megumi…can I come in?"

She heard some shuffling and then footsteps coming closer to the door. It slid open to reveal Megumi who stared at her with an unreadable expression.

"Kazume."

Kazume's heart broke at how closed off her friend was. "Megumi…what's wrong? Why won't you talk to me?"

For the first time in their friendship, Megumi glared hard at her. "You didn't talk to me."

Kazume stared, more confused than ever. "What are you talking about?"

Her friends glare hardened. "During the week Arimon disappeared! You didn't utter a word to me! I'm your best friend! I could've comforted you but you pushed everyone away!"

Kazume gazed sadly at the floor. "I'm sorry…I know how ignorant I was. There's no excuse for my behaviour. It's just…" She sighed.

Megumi raised an eyebrow. "It's just what?"

Kazume lifted her head to look at her with quivering eyes. "I can't excuse the way I was feeling. The indescribable pain I felt in my heart at the thought of never seeing him again." She reached forward and gripped her friends' hands. "I know I spend so much time with him, but I love him Megumi. I fell deeply in love with him and didn't realize it until the last moment. And by then I thought it was too late." When Megumi didn't respond, she continued. "But you were there for me Megumi. Those last few days before he came back were more bearable because you were there with me. I'm positive that if there was the slight chance he never returned, I would've eventually recovered because I had my best friend beside me."

Megumi's eyes softened at her confession. "But you would still always miss him."

Kazume smiled. "Of course I would, nobody can easily forget a person that important to them."

Megumi sighed. "I'm sorry, I guess it was just hard seeing you so down. I'm not used to seeing you in such a sorry state. You didn't respond to anything I said or did, I wasn't sure what I could do."

Kazume frowned. "I'm really sorry Megumi; I had no idea how difficult it was for you. I…" Her shoulders slumped as she sighed. "…I was being really selfish."

Megumi shook her head and closed her hands around Kazume's. "No, I'm being selfish. You've had a traumatizing life. If anyone deserves to be happy, it's you Kaz." She lifted her hand and placed it on her friends shoulder. "You should tell him how you feel, and don't worry about me. No matter what happens between you two…I'll always be here for you. You're my sister Kaz, I love you."

Kazume smiled and leaned forward to hug her best friend. "Thank you…Megumi. I love you too."

A few days later, Urd had finally returned from the Demon Realm. She had been considerably weakened and had used up a lot of power. But she insisted she was fine and that Hild had willingly let her go after demanding she admitted defeat. Kazume felt guilty and blamed herself for Urd's injuries. She told the older goddess that if she hadn't brought her into it, she wouldn't have gotten hurt so badly. However Urd just shrugged her off and said it was worth it and that she was happy she was able to bring Arimon back to her. Kazume had cried joyfully and said she was forever in Urd's debt. After all that had happened, Kazume felt her friendship with Urd deepen.

Over the next couple of weeks, Kazume remained in a bouncy, cheerful mood. Her bright disposition was contagious to all those around her and people smiled when they saw the chirpy redhead walking down the sidewalk with a skip in her step. But even though her days had improved, there was still one thing that was nagging at the back of her mind. And it was this that had her best friend extremely agitated with her. She was oblivious to Megumi's frustration until one afternoon when she came home after spending the day at the Auto Club. She had barely walked through the front door when her roommate grabbed her wrist and dragged her into the kitchen.

"Megumi! What are you doing? Let go of me!"

The brunette ignored her and forced her onto the sofa in their living room. Kazume sweat dropped when Megumi stared at her with an annoyed expression. She grinned sheepishly.

"Uh…I didn't do it?" She had no clue what was happening.

She jumped when her friend yelled. "You're damn right you didn't do it!"

Okay now she was confused. "…What?"

Megumi rolled her eyes. "Arimon! When are you going to tell him you love him? It's been three weeks already since you figured out your feelings!"

Kazume groaned. "This is why you're having a go at me? Because I'm taking my sweet time with a love confession?"

Megumi nodded. "That's exactly why. I don't get what's taking so long."

Kazume sighed. "I…I just haven't found the perfect opportunity yet. Besides I'm still trying to figure out how he feels about me."

Megumi stared in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? That boy is as transparent as cling wrap!"

Kazume raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Megumi shrugged. "Well if you don't know than I can't tell you. You guys have to sort it out by yourselves."

Kazume huffed. "Fine be that way." But she grinned at her friend regardless, who smiled back. 'Best friends rule.' She thought giddily.

"Hey, Kazume."

Kazume looked over at Megumi who was staring pitifully into their fridge. "What's up?"

The brunette turned and gave her puppy eyes. "If I gave you a list could you run to the store and pick up some groceries? I need a few ingredients for dinner."

Kazume smiled. "Sure thing, I need to contribute to dinner somehow."

Megumi grinned. "Thanks! Let me just write the list down."

Once she was done, she handed the list to Kazume who took it and shoved it in her pocket. She left the house, promising to be back soon and made her way down the street. The shop was only down the road so she figured she would give her bike a rest. She walked casually down the sidewalk in silence until she finally reached the store. She only spent a few minutes walking around grabbing what she needed before making her way towards the cash register. After purchasing the groceries, she exited the shop and started walking back the way she came. She had only been walking a few minutes when an ominous feeling overtook her. She looked around, seeing if anybody was following her, but found nobody. 'Strange, there's nobody around. Then why do I feel so uneasy?'

No sooner had that thought crossed her mind when a strong wind suddenly picked up and blew across the ground. She looked up and saw dark clouds gathering together at an alarming speed. Lightning flashed brightly, landing too close for Kazume's liking. But her attention didn't stay on the bad weather for long when she spotted a shadowy figure emerging from the black sky. She squinted her eyes to see who it was, but they went extremely wide when the newcomer came into view.

Kazume had never met this figure in person before but there was no doubt in her mind as to who it was. She was after all the person who had badly injured Urd, who was also a very powerful Goddess herself. She did her best to keep her composure as she stared straight into the eyes of the Demon Ruler herself. The moment Hild had landed, the dark clouds and lightning instantly vanished, but this had no effect on Kazume. She just stared blankly at the demon woman without flinching.

Hild smiled at her. "I'm impressed young child. Humans are usually intimidated by my entrances, and yet you seem unfazed."

Kazume glared at her. "After what you did to Arimon, and how much you hurt Urd, I feel more pissed off than scared right now. What the hell are you doing here Hild?"

Hild raised her eyebrows. "You are a courageous one aren't you? Standing up to the most feared demon to walk the earth."

Kazume snorted. "More like the most stuck up demon."

Hilds' expression turned dark. "Watch your tongue mortal, you have no idea of the powers I possess."

Kazume shrugged. "Whatever, so did you come here to try and scare me? Well, you're doing a great job so far."

Hild clenched her fist but kept her temper in check. Instead she gave Kazume a forced smile. "I came to ask you a question actually."

Kazume raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Hild nodded. "I understand you have a close bond to my nephew. Exactly what are your feelings towards him?"

The young girl didn't answer, but Hild watched as a loving, tender smile grazed Kazume's lips. This was enough answer to her and she felt something in her mind snap. She unclenched her fist and dark swirls of demonic power surrounded her hand.

Kazume snapped her gaze to the power around Hilds' hand and she couldn't help a shiver of fear travel up her spine. But she was determined to not show any weakness to the she-devil. So she stood her ground and glared at Hild who grinned smugly.

"You can be as courageous as you want! But it will not stop your inevitable fate! Once I am through with you, Arimon will wish he had never come to earth in the first place!"

She thrust her hand forward and the dark energy sprung forward and pelted at light speed towards the defenceless redhead. Kazume closed her eyes, waiting for the pain, or possibly even death, to take her. When nothing happened, she opened one eye to see an astonishing sight. A bright red light had appeared in front of her and taken the blow from Hilds' attack, both disintegrating in an instant. Kazume stared confused for a second and gasped in surprise when she felt someone wrapped a protective arm around her waist. She looked up to see the welcoming sight of Arimon, whose amethyst eyes glowed with anger as he snarled at his Aunty.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!"

While his left arm held her closely to him, his right arm was stretched forward and surrounded by the same red energy that had saved Kazume's life. Something caught Kazume's eye and she glanced back to see Arimons' red wings spread out behind him. 'I haven't seen them since the first night he showed me.' She thought in wonderment. But just as quickly as she saw them, they vanished again back into his body. She shrugged and turned back to the situation at hand.

Arimon glared harshly at the white haired demon. "If you so much as lay another finger on her I will rip you to shreds!"

Hild smiled innocently. "But I didn't touch her, my energy did."

Arimon growled. "Don't screw with me Hild! I mean it, you leave Kazume alone!"

Kazume listened with interest to their argument. Even back when her and Arimon didn't get along, he had never spoken like this to her. 'Shows how extremely pissed off he must be.'

Urd sneered. "That mortal has no business with us demons. I was simply removing a problem."

'Uh oh' Thought Kazume, 'wrong thing to say.'

If it were possible, Arimons voice turned even more dangerous. "SHUT THE HELL UP! It's you who needs to mind your own business you stupid wench! Kazume has done NOTHING to deserve this kind of punishment!"

Hild leered at him. "But you have! Do you not remember the consequences I warned you of? Are you willing to give all that up for one simple human girl?"

Kazume turned and looked quizzically at her protector. "Arimon, what's she talking about?"

Arimon looked at her and his expression became soft. "When I first came to earth, she warned me that if I came too emotionally attached to any human than she would punish me."

Kazume raised an eyebrow. "And what's the punishment?"

Arimon sighed. "I would have my immortality and powers stripped away, which would turn me mortal."

Kazume's eyes widened for a split second before they narrowed into dangerous slits. She pushed Arimons arms aside and moved to lunge at the startled Hild. Arimon reflexively grabbed her waist and restrained her while she snarled and clawed at the air.

"Let me go Arimon! I'm going to kill her!"

Arimon was surprised at how strong she was for a human being, he was struggling somewhat to hold onto her. "Calm down Kazume! You'll be killed if you go anywhere near her!"

Kazume stopped struggling but continued to growl at the white haired demon. "You're a monster! Stripping everything away from him simply because he chose a path that you disapprove of? What's wrong with you, you stupid dictating cow?"

Arimon sweat-dropped, no human had ever insulted his aunty and lived to tell about it. But as long as he was there, he would protect her at all costs.

Hild, however, was highly amused with Kazume's behaviour. "My you are a feisty one, aren't you? Better keep a chain leash on this one Arimon."

Kazume huffed and turned her nose away while Arimon let out an exasperated sigh. 'This isn't going anywhere.'

Hild smirked. "Now where were we? Ah yes you're punishment. I'm afraid I always keep my word Arimon, I will be taking everything from you today."

Arimon stood his ground. "You may do as you wish. I will gladly sacrifice my status as a demon, especially if it means I can remain here on earth with Kazume. I will give up everything to be with her."

Kazume stared at him in surprise. 'He would give up…everything…for me?'

Hild laughed as she lifted up her arm. "Then prepare yourself!"

But before she could summon any power, the clouds suddenly parted and a blinding beam of light shone down on the three. Being human, Kazume couldn't stand how bright it was and buried her face in Arimons' chest. Arimon, on the other hand, gazed in wonder at the hypnotising light. Even though he had never been to heaven, somehow he knew exactly who it was.

"Almighty One." He whispered.

Kazume's eyes went wide with shock. "Al…Almighty One? You mean…God himself is here?"

Arimon smiled and nodded. "Indeed he is."

Kazume hid deeper into his shirt. "Oh hell…"

"Arimon, it's a pleasure to see you again. You've grown into quite the fine young man."

A jolt of electricity went through Kazume's body. The Almighty One's voice alone was proof enough of how powerful he really was, and it scared the living heck out of her.

But Arimon was calm as he smiled at the heavens. But before he had the chance to respond, the Almighty One continued.

"Hild, I'm sure you are well aware of this boy's heritage. He may have demon blood, but half of him also carries that of a God. Your threat to strip him of his immortality cannot be carried out unless I too agree to those conditions, since half of him belongs to the heavens. I personally see no reason for his punishment. This girl has been nothing but a blessing for him, and I see no reason why he can't continue to leave peacefully on earth with her."

Hild glared at the light, put off by the Almighty One suddenly taking charge. But the God wasn't finished.

"Hild…I can understand why you would disagree with my words, with you being the Ruler of Demon Kind. But even you cannot ignore that some things must be done the right way. For now I am asking you to leave them be, they have both been through enough…And Kazume."

Kazume flinched but stayed quiet.

"I cannot thank you enough for the kindness you have shown Arimon in the past several months. He was raised in a very dark place for many years; you are the light he needed to guide him. Please continue to take care of him.

Kazume had the decency to blush; it wasn't every day that the Almighty One complimented you. She suddenly noticed that everything had gone quiet. She looked up to see the beam of light had disappeared, leaving her and Arimon alone with the Demon Ruler once more. Hild glared at the pair of them.

"Just because high and mighty up there said a few strong words, don't think for a second I'm anywhere near finished with either of you."

She leered at them again before disappearing from view. 'She'll probably make a noisy exit from somewhere else.' Kazume mused.

Kazume breathed a sigh of relief and stepped back from Arimon. "Gosh, that certainly wasn't on my 'to do' list today."

Arimon chuckled. "We immortals do have a tendency of being rather unpredictable."

Kazume smiled at him, but another thought nagged on her mind. "Say Arimon?"

He gazed at her. "Yeah?"

Kazume tilted her head. "Did you mean what you said earlier? You told Hild you would willingly allow her to take away your abilities just so you can stay with me. Is that true?"

Arimon stared intensely into her eyes, only now noticing how alone they were. 'Now's my chance, I have to tell her.' He lifted his hand and gently placed it on her cheek. It was now or never.

"Kazume, you already know I care about you so much. I would do anything to protect you and stay by your side."

Kazume blushed. "Arimon…"

He shook his head. "No let me finish." When she nodded he continued. "I meant everything I said to Hild. The Demon Realm holds no place for me anymore, especially now that I've been banished for good. And I don't feel there's much need for me in heaven either. My whole life I've wandered around, trying to figure out my place in this world. For a long time I thought my life was meaningless and without a purpose…until the day I met you." As Arimon laid his heart in front of him, he never took his gaze away from Kazume's brown eyes. "When we first met, I was very cruel to you. But it wasn't out of hate. I was jealous of the close friendship you had with Megumi and the others, I had never had such a close bond with anyone. So I took my self-pity and hatred and I took it out on you…which was the last thing you deserved. Even now I still wonder why you would forgive such arrogance."

Kazume's eyes were now filled with compassion. He easily saw the message and knew she was forgiving him all over again. 'I really don't deserve her.'

"But eventually you became my friend, the best friend I could've asked for. You've been kind to me, and have shown me a love I have missed for centuries. That kindness is what led me to how I'm feeling right now."

Kazume stepped closer to him, her heart pounding against her chest. "And how are you feeling?"

Arimon smiled at her. "Overwhelming happiness, because I am able to be with the person I love the most." He stroked her cheek with his thumb. "I love you Kazume, more than anything or anyone else... I love you."

Kazume's eyes were wide and tears were falling down her face. Her chest burned with affection from his confession as she finally realized her deepest feelings. All those times she would feel the warmth inside her from just simply looking at him, she now knew it was because of her deep love for him. Smiling brightly at him through watery eyes, she returned his loving gaze with her own.

"I love you too Arimon…so very much."

Arimon felt he was going to burst with joy. She loved him! She had returned his feelings! He looked down to see her eyes now shining brightly with love for him. His eyes darted to her lips and then back to her eyes, silently asking if it was okay. She smiled in response, telling him that he could. He moved closer to her and gently placed his hands on her waist. Kazume raised her arms and rested them around his shoulders. For a short moment they gazed at each other until they simultaneously moved their faces closer together. When they were inches apart, Kazume stopped and closed her eyes, allowing him to make the final move. Arimon took the hint and gently closed the gap between them, softly placing his lips on hers. The kiss remained chaste for a few seconds before Kazume tightened her arms around his neck and angled her head to deepen their lip-lock. Arimon felt as if he had ascended to heaven. He had been dreaming for months to feel how soft Kazume's lips were and words could not describe just how delectable they tasted. His earlier thoughts hadn't done her justice, her mouth was so much more heavenly than he could've ever imagined. Somewhere during their embrace, Arimon had lifted one of his hands to run it through her silky, fire red hair.

Oxygen eventually became an issue and they were forced to break apart. They pulled their heads back but kept their arms wrapped around each other. Kazume smiled at him and placed a loving hand on his cheek. Arimon leaned forward to touch their foreheads together, which Kazume giggled at. 'She has the cutest laugh.' He thought fondly.

The silence was finally broken when Arimon whispered. "So…does this mean you'll be my girlfriend?"

Kazume giggled at him and playfully tapped his nose. "Do you think I would've kissed you like that if I didn't?"

He grinned. "Touché."

Kazume's eyes suddenly went wide with horror and she yanked herself out of his grasp. "Oh no! Megumi! I'm really late!"

Arimon stared at her. "What?" It was then he noticed several plastic bags on the floor with groceries scattered on the ground. 'I was so caught up in everything I didn't even notice she had those with her.' He walked over and helped her pick up the food before insisting to help carry them back to her apartment.

At this Kazume pouted. "But it's just down the road."

Arimon grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers. "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I let you carry them? Wouldn't be the best start to a relationship would it?"

Kazume blushed. 'Boyfriend…got to get used to calling him that.' She smiled none the less and leaned her head on his shoulder while they strolled down the pathway. Kazume glanced up to look at Arimon and couldn't help the soft smile that appeared on her face.

'I really am the luckiest girl in the world.'

End of Chapter